1. Have you ever heard or seen a racist behavior? What happened? What did other people do who were present?
2. What do you think are some of the consequences of racism in the United States today?
During Reading:
1. Psychologist Terrence James Roberts experienced racism at a young age. What happened?
2. The Southern Poverty Law Center registered how many hate incidents in the 10 days following the 2016 election? Of that total, how many were based on racism?
3. What are some of the ways that racism persisted in the United States after slavery ended — even to today?
4. What is a stereotype?
5. What is an implicit bias?
6. What are three ways in which racism causes harm?
7. In his team’s study of 18,000 black Americans, Alex Pieterse and his team turned up what kinds of impacts of racism on the mental health of its victims? List at least three.
8. How did Pieterse find that racism can hurt even people outside its target group?
9. What are at least three things that Roxanne Donovan suggested students might try to do when they confront episodes of racism?
After Reading:
1. Imagine that you’re in the school cafeteria when you overhear two white classmates making racist comments about black students. What would you do to intervene? How likely would you be to say something or get involved. Explain why.
2. Think about a stereotype that you’re aware of about some racial or ethnic group other than your own. How could systems in society (unfairly) reinforce that stereotype?
